Is there really a helium shortage?

Increased prices usually mean lower supply, but that’s not true for this gas. “There is actually so much helium that’s flooding the market that it’s not in short supply at all,” Burton says. And as for the future, “I’ve seen a lot of talk about this global shortage of helium—that’s actually not the case. In the United States, we’ve got at least 20 years of known supplies that are easily, readily available.” There’s far more worldwide—including now this new rich deposit found in Tanzania.